‘India must take this seriously’: Trudeau on Canada’s Nijjar charges after US case

Canada sought more cooperation from India in an investigation of the murder of a Sikh separatist in British Columbia after the United States alleged.

That it had foiled an assassination attempt against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a leader of Sikhs for Justice which is a New York-based group that is pushing for an independent Sikh state within India.

“The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we’ve been talking about from the very beginning, which is that India needs to take this seriously,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.

The US Justice Department said earlier on Wednesday it was charging 52-year-old Nikhil Gupta, who had worked with an Indian government employee, for plotting to kill Pannun by hiring a hit man.

The US charges came approximately two months after Canada acknowledged “credible” accusations linking Indian operatives to the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb in June, an allegation India has denied.

Trudeau emphasised the necessity for collaboration, stating, “The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we’re getting to the bottom of this.”

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, on Wednesday, urged India to be more transparent in the ongoing murder investigation, emphasising the expectation of increased cooperation.

Both the US and Canada seek to strengthen ties with India to counter Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific, but these allegations complicate those efforts. The prospect of reconciliation between New Delhi and Ottawa appears unlikely in the near term, with Canada’s murder investigation ongoing and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi preparing for national elections by May.